According to a summary of the bill, "Innovation in health care technologies, such as disposable technologies, will help to advance cost-effective, easy to use products, which also hold the potential to lower Medicare spending and the health of beneficiaries served by this program."

In a release announcing the legislation, Burr said, "Senior shouldn't have to live with bulky, outdated medical technologies when there are better, modern options available to them." Bennet said, "Medical innovation has helped make life easier for a lot of Colorado seniors. Unfortunately, Medicare hasn't kept pace to ensure beneficiaries have access to innovative, disposable technologies that are easy to use and often less expensive. This bill makes a simple updated to the Medicare program to ensure both disposable and durable technologies are covered."

Industry group AdvaMed has applauded the legislation. President and CEO Stephen Ubl said in a press release, "As medicine advances and innovation occurs in the treatment of injuries, illnesses, disabilities, and chronic conditions, Medicare beneficiaries are losing access to disposable forms of durable devices that traditionally have been covered under the DME benefit. The legislation introduced today will eliminate this obstacle, providing beneficiaries and their physicians the additional choice of a disposable medical technology to meet their individual need."

The senators' proposal follows similar legislation introduced earlier this year in the House of Representatives. A bill of the same name, H.R. 1018, was introduced by Representatives Renee Ellmers (R–NC), G.K. Butterfield (D–NC), and Marsha Blackburn (R–TN) in February.